SHEFFIELD, Vt.—Vermont's newest commercial wind power project is starting to pay dividends to the town where it's located.

Earlier this month the town of Sheffield received a payment of $117,000 for hosting the First Wind project on Sheffield Heights. The project is obligated to pay $520,000 a year for the life of the project, which began producing power in October.

The Caledonian Record ( http://bit.ly/yi6Ixp) reports operations Manager Andy Doak says the project has generated enough energy since October to power the equivalent of 16,500 homes daily.